Improvement in combined time, percussion, and concussion fuse



A. MERRYMAN.

Shell-Fuse.

Patented Oct. 4, 1864.

lillPRfiVEMENT 5N COlliiilNhD TEME, PERQUSSIGN, ANS CONCUSSION FU'SE.

b'pecmcnuon running part of Letters Patent No. i i ehfi, dated October 4, 18 .34 onl'edzttcd April 4, 1854.

" ponndtiine and contact fuse constructed socording to my invention. Fig. Z'reprcsents e vertical longitudinal section oi the some. Fig.

- 3 represents'e view of the outer end of the same with the cap removed. Fig. 4 represents a side view of the exterior fuse tube or case. Fig. 5 represents a side View of the innor fuse-tube. Fig. 6 represents a side view of the driver in its case; Fig. 7, a side view of 1 the lower friction-primer, and Fig. 8 a, side View of the socket-block of the primer. Fig. 9 represents a vertical section of a fuse. enibodying certain parts of my invention Withont others.

The object of my invention is to producer fuse which may fire the bursting-charge at the end of aide-finite neriod, or will fire the charge when the projectile comes in contact with an obstacle.

The special object of the first part of myinvention is to enable a. frietion'prini-er to be used to fire time-fuse; and it consists in the combination of n friction-primer located atthe outer extremity of a fuse-tube with a driver located at the inner extremity thereof, so that,

although the driver has e sufficient space to move in, it does not interfere with the insertion and withdrawal of the time-fuse, or form a projection at the outer end of the fuse tube or case.

The special object of the second part of my invention is to ens-hie e friction-primer to be used tofire the hrursting-oherge when the projectile strikes; and it consistsofthecombinetien of a friction-primer located at the inner end of e fusetuhe with a. driver (to draw the wire of the primer) located nearer the outer end of the fuse tube or cese.

The special ohjeet of the third part of my invention is to insure the firing of the burst ing-cherge upon the contact of the projectile with an obstacle, in case a friotion'or porous tube with e driver and frictionsion primer should not operate the-tiring of the bursting-charge; and it consists in combining the fuse-tube with at driver so formed and or ranged that when it moved outward in the fuse-tnbe by the jar incident to contact it will strike and displace the time-fuse, thereby permitting fire to pass round the timei'use to the bursting-charge.

The special object of th fourth part of my invention is to afford on so :ional chance for the explosion of the bursting-ciierge oi the projectile; endit consists in combiningthefuse rinier, (or o driver. operating; to displace a. line-fuse, or with a driver @erforming both of these functions,). and with e percnssio riincr so errenged as to he struck by th movement of the driver in performing its primary function.

The specei object of the fifth. part of iny invention is to incre e the friction of 2. driver in its casing, so the chance of its movement during the handling of the projectile previous to firing it will be diminished, if not Wholly prevented. It consists-of the coinhr nation of a grooved driver-with n casing nerforated at its side, so that the casing can he slightly indented opposite the groove ef'tiie driver to form a species of spring, one. thereby oppose a. greater resistance to the movement of the driver.

The fuse-case A, Figs. 1, 2, end 3 in the accompanying drewings, contains all the constituting the fuse. It is constructed with escrewed collar, 1), to screw into the fuse-hole of the projectile, and with a screw-cap, O, which is perforated, as seen at p, to permit the gas generated by the burning of the fnse to escape.

' The timefuse D consistsof a slow-burning composition contained in a case, Z, which in this instance is supposed to he made Gf'il'tiifii. AS the fuse represented at Figs. 1 end 2 is a variable tinieiuse, the tinicfnse D is per?- rated at its side, and is surrounded by on out er tube or casing, also perforated.

In order that the use may embody the'first part of my invention, it socket is formed in the enter end of the fuse-tube A, to receive a friction-primer, d, end the tube is perforated longitudinally to permit the wire f of this primer to pass inwe dto the driver B, which is arranged at the inner end of the timefnse projecting end of this ward in the fuse-tube A a space will be left D, The driver is perforated to permit the wire of the primer to pass through it, and before the projectile is fired the-end of the wire and draw back the wire of the friction-primer d, thereby exploding the letter ond'firing the outer end of the timefnse. As'fire might pos: sihly communicate from the outer end of the fuse D to the bursting-charge through the hole in the fuse-tube A for the wire 1'' of the primer, it is expedient to pack the wire, which is done in the present case by e pieceof indierubber, g, pressed into ciose contact with the wire by a screw, 1*.

In order that the fuse may 0nd part of my invention, at socket-block, H, is arranged at the inner end. of the fuse-tube A to receive it friction-primer, 7c, and the wire it oi this primer is passed throngh e perforation in the driver B, (which is nearer the outer end'of the fuse-tnoe,) and, before firing, the wire is bent down upon the outer end of the driver, as shown in red lines in Fig. 2; hence when the projectile strikes an object the momentum of thedriver causes it to move forward in its iriction-sleeve end drag the wire of the -friction-primer through it,thereby explodingthe primer. The fire from this primer passes directly through eholo at the inner end of the hiss-case A into the cevity containing the bursting-charge of the projectile end in order that there may be ssnrplus of fire genernted by the primer, it is formed with n end, m, which is loaded with ordinary gunpowder. Elie socket-block H, surrounding the friction'primer, protects it from being injured by the backward movement of the driver B when the projectile starts in the gun.

' In order that the fuse may embody the third part of my i-nvention,the time-fuse case l-is made conical, so'thet when-it. is moved outembody the secfor the passage of lire between it and the suri'atce of the cavity in which it is placed. Moreover, the outer end or head of the driver B is so formed that it can enter the lower end of the cavity in which the fuse is held and push it'forwerd before the driver strikes the end of the cavity in which it moves; hence when the\ projectile comes in contact with an object whereby its motion is arrested, and the mo- Inentnin of the driver causes it to move outward, the head of the driver strikes the inner end of the time-fuse and displaces it, thereby permitting the fire to pass from its outer end down its exterior to the bursting-chergewithin the cavity of the projectile end insuring the 7v tion'thc time fuse be set, by turning it l firing of the bnrstingchorge in case the primer provided for that purpose fails to not.

In order that the fuse may embody the fourth part of my invention, spercnssi'on-primer, n, in the form of a ring is arranged in the drivercnvity of the fuse in a position to be struck by the driver B when it is caused to move forward, so that there will be a probability of the bursting-charge being fired by the percussion primer in case the frictionprimer provided should fail to act, or in case fire shonld not pass round the fuse-tube when it is displaced.

In order that the fuse iney embody the fifth part of my invention, the driver B has a groove formed inits periphery, and theiriction-sleeve E is perforated, as shown at o, and indent-ed, at s, so that the indented portions not as springs, which oppose the movement of the driver snfficiently to obviate any risk of its movement by the handling to \'=;hich'projcctiles are subjected before firing. Instead of grooving the driver, the friction-sleeve may be formed with one indentation at the outer end of the driver and another at its inncrend, although I do not consider this so good a mode as the one represented of embodying this port of my invention. T he friction-sleeve is maintztincd in its place by an outer casing, '1, formed in two parts, which are slipped over it endwise in opposite directions, the one nearer the head of the fuse-tube forming the socket for the percussion-primer n.

The time-fuse case 1 is perforated with a slot, 6,,and the outer tube, A, is perforated with a helical slot, 9'; hence in whatever post within the range of its variation the two slots will always cross and afford at through communi cation at the point of crossing, and no particuinr core is required to set the time-fuse in an exact position. Tn order to enable the fuse to be set for time, the upper end of the case 1' is notched opposite the slot 0, and thehesd to the fuse-tube A is divided to form n diohwhich is numbered with figures corresponding with the number of seconds the fuse must burn before the fire reaches the crossing-point of the two slots, in order that tire niny pnssironi the time-fuse D or from the percussion-primer n to the bursting-clmrge,the driver 13 and the ends of the case in. which its friction-sleeve is bold are perforated, as shown at Fig. 2. ihe cavity in the socket-block H is also sniiiciently large to permit the fire to pass oron d the friction-primer. r v

I have thns described a fuse embodying all parts of my invention, and such a fuse has three channel of firing the bursting-charge when the projectile strikes its object: first, by

.meens of the friction-primer at its inner end;

second, by the displacement of the time-fuse, and the consequent communication-of fire from the outer end thereof; and, third, by the percussion primer. When the high cost of at large rifled projectile is considered, and the feet that it might wholly foil to injure an enemy it it did not explode upon striking composition) located at the outer end of the its object, the advantage ofcombiuing several distinct means of exploding it upon contact in a single fuse will be apparent, particularly as the cost of making such a combined fuse is but a trifle greater than the cost of a simple fuse when compared with the cost-of a projectile.

If, however, it be deemed expedient, oneor more parts of my invention may be used without the others. An example of such aus'e is exhibited at Fig. 9, which represents a fuse embodying the third, fourth, and fifth parts of my invention. In this example the cap 0 of the -fuseis constructed to screw into the fuse-tube,

. instead of upon it, as in Figs. 1 and 2.

dented, substantially as set forth.

fuse-case (to' fire the bursting-charge of the projectile) with a driver located nearer the outer end of the fuse-case, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the fuse-tube with a driver so'constructed and arranged that it can displace the time-fuse when moved outward in the fuse tube or case.

4.- The combination of the driver for operat= -in g a friction-primer (or for displacing the .time-fuse) with a percussion-primer so arranged relatively to the driver that said per mission-primer may be exploded by'the movement of-the driver in performing its other function, substantially as set forth;

5. The combination'of thedriver with a V friction casing or sleeve perforated andin In testimony whereof 'I have scribed my name.

hereunto sub-' v ANsoNMERRiMAN.

\Vitnesses:

THoMA's J. TINDALL,

I W, L. Bennett. 1 

